Claims
- 1. A personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system comprising:
- a hollow, closed structural member;
- a first transducer means mounted on said structural member;
- second transducer means mounted on said structural member;
- said first and second transducer means positioned in spaced relation to each other on said structural member;
- driver means for driving said first and second transducer means with driving signals, said first and second transducer means being driven 180 degrees out-of-phase at a first frequency range and being driven in-phase at a second frequency range;
- said first frequency range being lower than said second frequency range;
- means for supplying audio signals to said first and second transducer means; and
- means for changing the relative phase of driving signals from said driving means when the out-of-phase response would have been approximately the same as the in-phase response;
- wherein each of said first and second transducer means, comprises a linear array of at least two speakers and wherein said system further comprises time-delay means which delays sending the audio signal to the speakers of each linear array of speakers in a preselected sequence;
- whereby the response of said system in said first frequency range is enhanced.
- 2. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 1 wherein said structural member is filled with an acoustically transparent material other than air.
- 3. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 2 wherein said material is an open cell foam.
- 4. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 1 wherein said first frequency range comprises about 20-200 Hz.
- 5. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 1 wherein said system is adapted to be worn by a wearer and produces an audio output while not covering the ears of the wearer or blocking environmental sounds to the wearer.
- 6. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 1 wherein said structural member is made from a flexible, pliable material and can be formed to conform to a portion of the wearer's body.
- 7. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 1 wherein said means for supplying audio signals is selected from the group comprising a CD player, radio, digital audio tape player, digital cassette carrier, mini-disc player, telephone, television and cassette tape player.
- 8. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 1 wherein said means for changing the relative phase of driving signals comprises a crossover network and a 180 degree phase shift network.
- 9. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 8 wherein said means for changing the relative phase of driving signals comprises a digital signal processing system.
- 10. A personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system comprising:
- a first hollow structural member;
- a first linear array of at least two transducers mounted on said first structural member;
- said first structural member having a first acoustic aperture in spaced relation to said first transducer means;
- a second hollow structural member;
- a second linear array of at least two transducers mounted on said second structural member;
- said second structural member having a second acoustic aperture in spaced relation to said second transducer means;
- driver means for driving said first and second linear arrays of transducers;
- means for supplying audio signals to said first and second linear arrays of transducers; and
- time-delay means for sequential sending of such audio signals to each of the transducers in each of said first and second linear arrays of transducers;
- whereby when said system is worn with the first linear array of transducers being positioned adjacent, but not blocking or covering one of the wearer's ears, the second linear array of transducers being positioned adjacent, but not blocking or covering the other of the wearer's ears, and the first and second apertures each being positioned at a distance further from the wearer's ears than the respective first and second linear arrays of transducers, the system provides a low frequency response which approximates that provided by conventional headphones and earphones that cover the wearer's ears and significantly block external sounds to the ears.
- 11. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 10 wherein said first and second structural members are each filled with an acoustically transparent material other than air.
- 12. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 11, wherein said material is an open cell foam.
- 13. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 10 wherein said first and second structural members are each made from a flexible, pliable material and can be formed to conform to a portion of the wearer's body.
- 14. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 10 wherein said means for supplying audio signals is selected from the group comprising a CD player, radio, digital audio tape player, digital cassette carrier, mini-disc player, telephone, television and cassette tape player.
- 15. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 10 wherein said first and second apertures each comprise a vent and said apertures are positioned relative to said first and second transducer means at the furthest possible position on said first and second structural members from a wearer's ears when the system is worn.
- 16. A personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system comprising:
- a hollow structural member;
- first and second transducer means mounted in spaced relation on said structural member;
- each of said first and second transducer means comprising a linear array of at least two speakers;
- said structural member having at least one acoustic aperture positioned between said first and second transducer means;
- driver means for driving said first and second transducer means;
- means for supplying audio signals to said first and second transducer means; and
- time-delay means for sequential sending of such audio signals to each of the speakers in each of said first and second transducer means;
- whereby when the system is worn with the first transducer means being positioned adjacent, but not blocking or covering one of the wearer's ears, the second transducer means being positioned adjacent, but not blocking or covering the other of the wearer's ears, and said aperture is positioned farther away from the wearer's ears than said first and second transducer means, the low frequency response of said system approximates that provided by conventional headphones and earphones that cover the wearer's ears and significantly block external sounds to the ears.
- 17. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 16 wherein said structural member is made from a flexible, pliable material and can be formed to conform to a portion of the wearer's body.
- 18. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 16 wherein said means for supplying audio signals is selected from the group comprising a CD player, radio, digital audio tape player, digital cassette carrier, mini-disc player, telephone, television and cassette tape player.
- 19. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 17 wherein said structural member is incorporated into a wearable garment and said first transducer means is adapted to be positioned on one shoulder of a wearer and said second transducer means is adapted to be positioned on the other shoulder of a wearer.
- 20. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 16 wherein at least two apertures are provided in said structural member, one aperture corresponding to said first transducer means and the other aperture corresponding to said second transducer means.
- 21. The personal wearable, portable communication system of claim 16 wherein when said system is worn by a wearer, said aperture is positioned further from the wearer's ears than said first and second transducer means.
- 22. A personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system comprising:
- a hollow, closed structural member;
- a first transducer means mounted on said structural member;
- a second transducer means mounted on said structural member;
- said first and second transducer means positioned in spaced relation to each other on said structural member;
- driver means for driving said first and second, transducer means with driving signals, said first and second transducer means being driven 180 degrees out-of-phase within a first frequency range and being driven in-phase within a second frequency range;
- said first frequency range being lower than said second frequency range;
- means for supplying audio signals to said first and second transducer means; and
- means for changing the relative phase of driving signals from said driving means when the out-of-phase response would have been approximately the same as the in-phase response;
- said structural member sized to be positioned on a wearer's torso adjacent the head and shaped to conform to the wearer's torso;
- wherein said structural member is positioned on the wearer's torso, said first transducer means is positioned adjacent one of the wearer's ears and said second transducer means is positioned adjacent the other of the wearer's ears;
- wherein each of said first and second transducer means comprises a linear array of at least two speakers and wherein said system further comprises time-delay means which delays sending the audio signal to the speakers of each linear array of speakers in a preselected sequence;
- whereby the response of said system in said first frequency range is enhanced.
- 23. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 22 wherein said structural member is incorporated into an item of clothing adapted to be worn on the torso of the wearer.
- 24. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 22 wherein said structural member is made from a flexible, pliable material and can be formed to conform to a portion of the wearer's torso.
- 25. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 22 wherein said means for supplying audio signals is selected from the group comprising a CD player, radio, digital audio tape player, digital cassette carrier, mini-disc player, telephone, television and cassette tape player.
- 26. A personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system comprising:
- a first hollow structural member;
- a first linear array of transducers mounted on said first structural member;
- said first structural member having a first acoustic aperture in spaced relation to said first linear array of transducers;
- a second hollow structural member;
- a second linear array of transducers mounted on said second structural member;
- said second structural member having a second acoustic aperture in spaced relation to said second linear array of transducers;
- driver means for driving said first and second linear arrays of transducers;
- means for supplying audio signals to said first and second linear arrays of transducers; and
- time-delay means for sequential sending of such audio signals to each of the transducers in each of said first and second linear arrays of transducers;
- said first and second structural members being sized to be positioned on a wearer's torso adjacent the head and each being shaped to conform to the wearer's torso;
- whereby when said system is worn with the first linear array of transducers being positioned on the torso adjacent one of the wearer's ears, the second linear array of transducers being positioned on the torso adjacent the other of the wearer's ears, and the first and second apertures being each positioned farther away from the wearer's ears, the system provides to the wearer a low frequency response which approximates that provided by conventional head phones and ear phones that cover the wearer's ears and significantly block external sounds to the ears.
- 27. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 26 wherein said first and second structural members are each filled with an acoustically transparent material other than air.
- 28. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 27, wherein said material is an open cell foam.
- 29. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 26 wherein said first and second structural members are both incorporated into a single item of clothing adapted to be worn on the torso of the wearer.
- 30. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 26 wherein said first and second structural members are each made from a flexible, pliable material and can be formed to conform to a portion of the wearer's torso.
- 31. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 26 wherein said means for supplying audio signals is selected from the group comprising a CD player, radio, digital audio tape player, digital cassette carrier, mini-disc player, telephone, television and cassette tape player.
- 32. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 26 wherein said first and second apertures each comprise a vent and said apertures are positioned relative to said first and second transducer means at the furthest possible positions and said first and second structural members away from a wearer's ears when the system is worn.
- 33. The personal wearable, portable communication and entertainment system of claim 26 wherein said acoustically transparent material comprises at least a portion of a high frequency damping material.
- 34. A portable device for wearing on the head of a wearer, said device comprising:
- first and second hollow structural members incorporated in said device and positioned to lie adjacent opposed portions of the wearer's head when said device is worn;
- a first and second transducer means mounted on said first and second structural members, respectively;
- each of said first and second transducer means comprising a linear array of at least two speakers;
- said first structural member having a first acoustic aperture in spaced relation to said first transducer means; and said second structural member having a second acoustic aperture in spaced relation to said second transducer means;
- driver means for driving said first and second transducer means;
- means for supplying audio signals to said first and second transducer means; and
- time-delay means for sequential sending of such audio signals to each of the speakers in each of said first and second transducer means;
- whereby when said device is worn on the wearer's head with the first transducer means being positioned adjacent, but not blocking or covering one of the wearer's ears, the second transducer means being positioned adjacent, but not blocking or covering the other of the wearer's ears, and the first and second apertures each being positioned at a distance further from the wearer's ears than the respective first and second transducers, the system provides a low frequency response which approximates that provided by conventional headphones and earphones that cover the wearer's ears and significantly block external sounds to the ears.
- 35. The personal portable communication device of claim 34 wherein each of said first and second structural members are filled with an acoustically transparent material other than air.
- 36. The personal portable communication device of claim 35 wherein said material is an open cell foam.
- 37. The personal portable communication device of claim 34 wherein each of said first and second structural members is made from a flexible, pliable material and can be formed to conform to a portion of the wearer's head.
- 38. The personal portable communication device of claim 34 wherein said means for supplying audio signals is selected from the group comprising a CD player, radio, digital audio tape player, digital cassette carrier, mini-disc player, telephone, television and cassette tape player.
- 39. The personal portable communication device of claim 34 wherein said first and second structural members are incorporated into a wearable accessory selected from the group comprising a hat, a cap, a helmet, a scarf and a headband.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of United States patent application Ser. No. 08/400,901, filed Mar. 8, 1995, entitled "Portable Speakers With Enhanced Low Frequency Response".
US Referenced Citations (12)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
400901 |
Mar 1995 |
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